Armed man holds up couple Saturday at Port St. Lucie church

PORT ST. LUCIE — A couple at the First United Methodist Church in Port St. Lucie escaped injury Saturday after a man brandished a hunting knife demanding money but fled with a cellphone and two laptops when the victims insisted there was no cash to rob.

The alleged armed robbery happened around 3 p.m. at the Methodist church in the 200 block of Southwest Prima Vista Boulevard, according to Master Sgt. Frank Sabol.

Detectives used a K-9 unit and a helicopter to search for the unidentified man, but the trail went dead within about a block west of the church, Sabol said.

The male, believed to be white, in his mid 30s, with a two-day old "scruffy" beard, is approximately 5-feet 9-inches tall, weighing 160 pounds. He was described as wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and a dark-colored baseball cap.

"He entered the church and was wandering around and was confronted by (the victims.) The guy pulled out a folding buck knife-type weapon and demanded cash," Sabol said. "He said ‘give me all your cash,' and (the victim) told him they didn't have any money. He said ‘there has to be money here somewhere;' he was told there's no money so he tells them to give him their cellphones and he took two laptops."

The man fled the church heading northwest down Southwest Prima Vista Boulevard. Sabol said he was tracked for a block before the track disappeared.

"It appears he may have gotten into a vehicle," Sabol said. "No injuries were reported because (the victims) complied with him and gave him what they had and he took off."